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Project: BMW E21.



Nothing really has been done worth of an update, just little bits and bobs here and there.

As you say, I want to come away from this weekend with a fair amount done.

Fingers crossed everything is delivered in time too.
 

welshname

ClioSport Club Member
You realise it's Friday right? You're going to struggle if stuff doesn't arrive today.

Feels like forever since I've been and worked on this with you. It's like I've been cheating on it with the ///M3
 
Yeah I realise, the stuff has been posted and should be arriving today/tomorrow morning anyway.

Fear not :)

Yeah you bast, not only cheating on it with an ///M3, but the worst ///M3 at that!
 
  Ph1 Clio V6, Ph2 172
How did I miss this thread??! Love retro beemers and this ones a cracker. Some good work has gone into it too by the looks of it. Only thing I'd say is stick to BMW period tuning parts. If your considering split rims have you looked on racecarsdirect.com? Theres usually a good selection of period race wheels that would suit your car to a tee. Last time I was on there there were some centre lock bbs centers going cheap. Engine wise its a toughy. The M10 is pukka little lump and suits your build well so far i reckon. I think its a case of leaving it well alone or going balls out with it personally. However saying that, nothing would look cooler than a 6cyl with 3 Ebay sourced weber 40/45 dcoe carbs bolted to the side. I suppose a little bit like classic gtr skylines only much much cheaper.
My biggest regret was not buying a 2002 ti the other year for 1400 quid......it was mint too! This thread just reminded me of that regret.......thanks! Lol
 
I'm glad my thread has been of service to you, if not your bank balance ;)

I've not checked that website, so thanks, I'll have a look and see if there is anything on there.

Engine wise, I've been back and forth and back again, M52, F20C, 2.0l Duratec, M10 tuned... the lot! I do like the idea of a 6cyl conversion, perhaps the engine from a 320/6, as you say with Webers.

The aim for now is just to get it running, only then will I know exactly what direction I fancy heading in, engine wise.
 
So, as promised, updates from the weekend :)

First up, my new grub screws arrived, meaning I could fit my wing mirrors. I love them, and they're a lovely feature of the car:

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After that, we took the brake calipers off, as the hoses need replacing (more on that in a few days).

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They were cleaned up:

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And given a couple of coats of paint:

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Wheelarch section of brake line that will be replaced by something, a little more premium :)

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One of the worst design flaws of the BMW E21 is the front sunroof drainpipes, which pass down the A pillar, and through the chassis, but instead of emptying onto the floor, they empty into the sill.

As you can expect, this is a haven for rust and rot, so I decided to reroute the drain into the wheelarch.

So I drilled a 20mm hole in the back of the arch, into the space behind the speaker, then ran the rubber drain through there and into the wheelarch, so the water can now drain freely onto the road.

The hole was sealed up after taking some shots.

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Next job on the list was to sort out a couple of damaged threads.

The caliper mounting point on the coilover had been drilled prior to me owning them, presumably to remove a stiff bolt.

So, I ordered a Helicoil kit off eBay, I didn't fancy paying the high prices for a genuine kit, so a £12 eBay special was ordered and frankly, it was perfect. If anything, the crappy keyless chuck on my drill let me down more than anything else.

Caliper mount with it's new M12x1.5 thread:

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Also, to use the coilovers, I needed to upgrade to the bigger 323i hubs, which I did a few months back. Unfortunately one of the threads for the wheel bolts was crossthreaded, so to save me having to use just 3 wheelbolts, I drilled it out, ran a tap through it, and inserted a new M12x1.5 Helicoil.

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With all that done, it was time to do some "fun" work, in the form of carpets :)

Started out with a nicely underlayed cabin:

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No progress shots, as there isn't much to see, and unfortunately these two photos are actually the best I have, shocking I know :(

Anyway, a good amount of carpet fitted:

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Centre console is only mocked up for now, but it gives a good idea of how it will look.

Massive, massive thanks to Rhys and Jon, who put in a monumental effort this weekend to help out. They sanded the wheels. Hot, dusty, minging work, but they didn't give stick once, cheers lads :)
 
Cracking work you schlong! It's great you've got your friends chipping in too, I bet they don't realise how much it helps you out to an extent.

Absolutely this, a little effort from them, makes a huge difference to me and the project.

Manifold is cheap! Easy repair to. Carbs can be had cheaper than that as well.

​You know this car deserves them.

It does, but I still don't know if I want to keep the engine, I need to some investigation as I think the headgasket might be on its last legs.
 
Looks ace so far, what carpet did you use? Links?

do you have any "modernisation" plans for the dash? iPod/phone dock/new radio/cd player etc etc

We've started wiring in a HU, which will be mounted out of sight (hopefully in the glovebox). Its very nearly drivable now, hopefully some bits will come this week ;)
 

Rob

ClioSport Moderator
Has it got a tape player? If so you should have spoke to JoewasT5. He customised his volvo tape deck so it accepted an ipod. Basically, the man's a genius.

Looks totally OEM but is practical.
 
Rob, He has no audio player what so ever. It was an option that wasn't selected on his, hence the new HU.

Scott, I know where he got it from, but I've no idea what shade its called. Its pretty much the same as the carpet in my E46, which is what he wanted.
 
Looks ace so far, what carpet did you use? Links?

do you have any "modernisation" plans for the dash? iPod/phone dock/new radio/cd player etc etc

From a place called Segals Motor Trimmings, just near Renault Manchester.

The carpet is called "Charcoal Schwarz" I swiped the last 2 rolls they had in stock.

http://www.segalmotortrimmings.net/

Very good bunch of guys in there, very helpful and clearly passionate about what they do. If you can't find what you need in there, it probably doesn't exist.

As for modernisation, as Jon said, it will have a hidden Bluetooth HU, allowing me to play music, while retaining the original dash.

Dude, with the age of it, windows were probably an option, as was a passenger side wing mirror I imagine. LOL

I'll have to dig out the original spec and show you one time, but mine was specced with an optional passenger wing mirror, but best of all, the box was ticked for "Fuel". Yep, BMW brimmed it for the first owner.
 
So my new brake lines arrived yesterday.

They're custom lines from HEL.

The quality of them is sublime, they really do look and feel like a very premium product.

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Hopefully get them fitted this weekend.
 
Today was supposed to be another mega productive day, get loads done and get the car close to being finished.

I came home this morning and was nearly sick when I saw this:

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It had collapsed during some storms last night. By what I can only describe as a miracle, the car is completely unscathed. The BMW gods were feeling kind it would seem.

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So the car is now open to the elements, a good test for those seals.

We did still get a few bits done, I've not quite finished a few jobs though, so will update when they're done.

The braided lines are now on though, just need to bleed the system:

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Will get some more done this week.
 

Mr R.

ClioSport Club Member
  A special one.
What a stroke of luck, the Hel brake lines are so well made having s/steel ends. :)
 
Dropped the coilovers all the way down at the front.

Here you can see the issue with lowering old BMW's, they don't go all the way down. So custom springs might be needed.

The rear needs playing with too, but it does look so much better for being lower.

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My mate came over in his HSD'd M3 too:

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Pictures are crap iPhone efforts, I'll get some decent ones with my camera tomorrow when I do some more work on it.

Oh... I forgot to mention.... I drove it round the block for the first time :quiet:.
 


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